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News from the New York State and Local Retirement System

Tag Archives: Acuary

People are living longer, which means that recent retirees are spending more time in retirement than in previous generations. This also means that they are collecting a benefit for a longer period of time. That’s why Comptroller DiNapoli, administrator of the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), ensures that the most accurate and current data available is used to project how long our members and retirees are expected to live. In doing so, NYSLRS lessens the risks of underfunding the benefits of its current and future retirees.

How the Pension Fund Plans Ahead

The pension fund’s assets come from member contributions, investment income, and employer contributions. Each year, NYSLRS calculates the funds it needs to pay current and future benefits. NYSLRS can’t know for certain how long a member will pay into the pension fund before retiring or how long a retiree will receive a pension. What NYSLRS can do, though, is make assumptions about each of these scenarios.

In this case, an assumption helps NYSLRS predict the expected future payments over the lifespan of its members and retirees based on their age and gender. By estimating how long NYSLRS can expect to pay its retirees, it can plan ahead and determine how much money the pension fund will need.

A New Direction on Assumptions

In August of 2014, NYSLRS’ actuary recommended a change in our mortality assumptions ( PDF) based on the completion of a much anticipated study and report from the Society of Actuaries. This new approach to creating these assumptions considers the age and gender of members and retirees, and also their birth year. Birth years provide a more accurate way of looking at life expectancy as not all generational groups share the same life expectancy. A baby boomer who retires at age 62 may live until a certain age, but that doesn’t mean a millennial retiring at 62 will live until the same age. Using more realistic models of life expectancy gives NYSLRS a better understanding of what benefits to pay out over time.

NYSLRS can expect to pay out more benefits in the future as its retirees live longer, but it won’t come as a surprise. By planning ahead, NYSLRS is making sure the benefits you worked for will be there for you during retirement.